Contents
What is adoption?
Who are the children needingfamilies?
Who can apply to infant adoptionprograms?
Marital status
Other criteria
Assessment process
Furtherinformation
Infant adoption1
Adoption is a service for children. Adoption provides a stable and secure family life for children who, for various reasons, cannot live with their birth family. Over the years, adoption has changed in line with new research and new understandings about the needs of those involved in adoption. One of the main changes is the opportunity for ongoing contact and information sharing between the parties to adoption.
The number of infants placed for adoption has decreased over the past 30 years. The reasons for this include community acceptance of single parenthood, the introduction of government benefits for single parents and improved contraception. There are about 20 local infants placed for adoption each year in Victoria. Although the number of infants is small, the adoption program welcomes inquiries from prospective adoptive parents.
What is adoption?
Adoption is a way of forming a family, involving the placement of a child with adoptive parents which is followed by a legal process transferring all parental rights and responsibilities to the adoptive parents. After an adoption order is granted by the court, a new birth certificate is issued which recognises the adoptive parents as the child’s legal parents.
Who are the children needingfamilies?
Children placed by infant adoption programs are generally aged between two months and one year.
Parents considering the adoption of their child attend counselling at an adoption and permanent care service. This involves discussing the options for care of their child, and what adoption involves.
Parents cannot sign an adoption consent until sixteen days after the child’s birth. There is a twenty-eight day period during which they may withdraw their consent and this may be extended by up to fourteen days. The child is not placed with an adoptive family before the end of this period.
Some infantsplacedfor adoptionmay have minor health or medical problems. There may be some concerns about the child’s development or family background. If there are significant concerns the child is usually placed through the special needs program
The following profiles give an indication of the children available for infant adoption.
James
Sally and Steve, both seventeen years old, first attended counselling when Sally was six months’ pregnant. The pregnancy was unplanned and neither parent considered that they or their immediate family members were able to care for the child. Sally and Steve’s parents had just learned of the pregnancy. The counsellor met with Sally and Steve and their parents. When James was born, Sally and Steve decided to go ahead with adoption, and signed consent when he was five weeks old. After signing adoption consents for James, Sally requested access four times per year for her and her parents. Steve did not request access for himself or family members.
Claire
Claire’s mother, Jane, attended counselling when she was five months’ pregnant. She was a single woman in her early twenties and had just found out that she was pregnant. Jane became pregnant to a man who was separated from his wife, but subsequently returned to live with her. Jane was extremely distressed about the pregnancy and the break-up of the relationship. She felt unprepared to be a single parent and felt she would have little support. The father agreed with the plan for adoption. Jane signed an adoption consent when Claire was four weeks old, and requested access twice per year.
Adoption is no longer surrounded by secrecy as it is recognised that knowledge of origins including heredity is a vital part of children’s identity development.
The adoption legislation provides for access and/or information exchange between birth parents and adopted children. After a birth parent signs an adoption consent, he or she can express wishes about frequency of access and information exchange with other family members, such as grandparents.
Wishes can also be expressed about the type of family including race and religion so that families who meet the birth parents’ wishes can be selected. The Infant Adoption Program also involves the birth parents in the selection process.
Access and information exchange provisions can be included in the adoption order at the time it is granted by the court if requested by the birth parents or can be added at a later date, if the adoptive parents agree. While most situations are managed by cooperation, if the provisions are included in the adoption orderthere is a legal basis for dealing with disputes if they arise at a later time.
For access visits to benefit the child, it is vital that the adoptive parents and birth parents are able to accept each other’s family situation despite possible differences in life experiences and values. A worker from the adoption and permanent care service will assist with access arrangements until the parties involved are comfortable with managing them independently.
Who can apply to infant adoptionprograms?
Marital status
The Adoption Act requires that applicants for adoption have been married or living in a de facto relationship for at least two years before an application is made. Single applicants can adopt when the Court is satisfied that special circumstances exist in relation to the child. In general, this applies to children with special needs.
Other criteria
Applicants are required to undergo a medical examination and a criminal record check and to provide references as part of the application and assessment process.
Assessment process
Applicantsareassessedinrelationtotheirsuitability toadopt.Thisinvolvesconsiderationofmatterssuch as applicant’s personality, health, age, relationships and ability to provide a secure and beneficial environment for a child until he or she reaches independence.
Furtherinformation
Contact the Adoption and Permanent Care Team in your area.
The Adoptive Families Association of Victoria (AFAV) can also give you information aboutadoption.
E-mail:
Adoption and Permanent Care Services:
Metropolitan Services Eastern
Department of Human Services
883 Whitehorse Road
Box Hill 3128
Phone: (03) 9843 6413
Fax: (03) 9843 6478
North and West Department of Human Services
4 Hartington Street
Glenroy 3046
Phone: (03) 9304 0799
Fax: (03) 9300 3872
Anglicare Western
41 Somerville Road
Yarraville 3013
Phone: (03) 9687 5200
Fax: (03) 9689 6110
Southern Connections 274 High Street
Windsor 3181
Phone: (03) 9521 5666
Fax: (03) 9519 6600
Rural Services
Barwon South Western Department of Human Services
2nd Floor
Cnr Fenwick and Little Malop Streets Geelong 3220
Phone: (03) 52 264 540
Fax: (03) 52 264 550
Gippsland Anglicare Gippsland 65 Church Street
Morwell 3840
Phone: (03) 51 339998
Fax: (03) 51 339 601
Child and Family Services Ballarat Inc.
115 Lydiard Street North Ballarat 3350
Phone: (03) 53 321 434
Fax: (03) 53 321 724
Hume
Department of Human Services
163 Welsford Street
Shepparton 3630
(PO Box 1060
Shepparton 3630)
Phone: (03) 58 321 500
Fax: (03) 58 311 851
Loddon Mallee
St LukesAnglicare
175–187 Hargreaves Street
Bendigo 3550
(PO Box 315
Bendigo 3552)
Phone: (03) 54 401100
Fax: (03) 54 422 316
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© State of Victoria, Department of Health and Human Services June, 2017.
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Infant adoption1